DLPhoenix

The system performance left (a humongous) room for improvement. I have not been transferred to the Airport UG list until T-3 but I eventually got the upgrade and flew NRT EWR in BF.

Bottom line- the rules are OK (Although I would like to be able to apply after T-24) but the implementation is sub-par. I saw many angry passengers and had to console several miserable agents this week. UA should start damage control IMHO.

Safe Travels
DLP

Jetlagged

-------------------------

exact same thing happened to me last week IAD-LHR (within T-24, "we have no record of your upgrade request"). Also, more than 5 days later, my miles still haven't posted..

cfischer

hahaha, you must be joking. I am sure UAInsider is as much swamped with all these problems as the other UA channels. This week I sent a formal complaint letter to UA headquarters asking to explain what the hell is going on here. On a recent trip a waitlisted UG never cleared, despite the fact that R>0 and > 24 hours before departure. Even waiting out the 1 hr waittime on the phone didn't help because the agents had no idea how to clear the upgrade. I am sure they will claim that 1/2 my flights cleared and I am due nothing ... maybe time to involve the DOT in some of these business practices. It essence this is comsumer fraud.

ChicagoUnited

It's not essence, it's the real thing. Thanks for calling it what it is -- consumer fraud. Yes, it's time to get the DOT and state agencies involved in the mismanagement of what's being promised customers. BBB surely is interested as well.

JetAway

Best current strategy seems to be (1) Only buy a ticket when the upgrade can be confirmed at purchase OR (2) Be prepared to fly in the class purchased OR (3) fly another airline until things straighten out.

lhrsfo

Agreed that this is the pragmatic short term solution.

However, part of the reason why we have chosen to fly UA over other carriers has been the receipt of RPUs and GPUs - which have a real, if unquantified, value. If UA renders them worthless, then that is an issue in the medium term (ie well before they expire).

jackonferry

Not denying the OP's experience; just offering a different datapoint. For my return from EZE, my upgrade to C did not clear prior to the 24hr mark. I got an email saying I was being added to the gate management list. Sure enough, I was, and I could watch my "progress" on the list. I started out as #2 (for 5 or 6 seats) and slid down to #4 at about 4 hours before departure. There I remained and finally got the upgrade at the gate. I say finally because it took 4 GAs 40 minutes to figure out how to upgrade me and #3. There was some SHARES-related issue that had them baffled.

JetAway

If RPUs & GPUs turned out to be essentially worthless for anything but long-term bookings then I suspect many 1Ks would stop flying UA at the Platinum level and move their business to another carrier for the remaining 25K+ miles they might fly for the year. I would. After all, what's the point?

Beerman92

Agree with this. The problem is going to be calculating how much devaluation of the instruments makes them worthless for each pax (individual decision). The week or two right after 3/3 they appeared worthless to Beerwoman92 and myself. Since then they have proven to have some worth to us. She cleared on a GPU and I cleared on an RPU. Both were not available at booking but both cleared after booking but days before the respective flights.

DLPhoenix

Please do.
It was painful to navigate the system since 3/3 but my hit rate is improving and I assume it will stay the same while the demand for upgrades stays low.

I am 3 out of 4 on international segments since 3/3. My only problem is that I am running out of GPUs.
I was ready to use an RPU on TPE->NRT but my M fare instant upgrade cleared before I could apply it.
Two of my GPU upgrades required me spend quality time on hold listening to UA commercials while the 1K agents were trying to sort things out, but my GPUs are far from worthless.

My RPUs are quite worthless because I seldom fly domestic, but I can't blame UA for that.


Happy travels
DLP

JetAway

You're a lucky guy.

Thunderroad

Not just the current strategy. I'd say this is the best long-term strategy as well. Even if and when UA clears up its system integration glitches, the overall policy is to restrict upgrade availability. With the possible exception of a few routes where upgrades generally clear (such as BKK-NRT), I'd never suggest doing an upgrade WL at time of ticketing.

mlc27

I and my family fly a lot between EWR - SIN / BOM /NRT and I also noticed this completely unsatisfactory policy of waiting till the gate for upgrades to clear. I mean the whole value for being a 1K is to use the GPU for family travel with some certainty. We put in about 200k miles as a household.

I use a mix of paid tickets / Gpu / miles for family travel.

Till last year I had some certainty and things would clear much ahead of travel but with this new policy I cannot send my 70 year old parents on a hope to the airport. I rather just buy the tickets direct. Also can't use them for my wife and little one's with any degree of consistency.

2 GPU for UA48 cleared at the airport a few weeks ago, I have 3 more on wait for UA117, let's see how this works.

I have my wife , mother-in-law, 3 yr old daughter and infant son traveling on UA117. I have three seats (W fare) and upgrades wait listed . I have told them to tie the three PNR together. My concern is they will upgrade some and not the others. It is practically an empty flight. The only reason I paid for W fare was for the upgrades to go through. Otherwise would have save 30% of these fares too.

( Will they refund me the higher fare I paid for the upgrade possibility if it doesn't go through. My guess is not)

If they drop the ball on this one, they will have one 1K and 2 star golds less to worry about next year.

Thanks for sharing everyone's experiences.

Also inter Asia, on which flight can one use Regional upgrades, is there a list somewhere.

Happy travels

mobilebucky

sin-nrt and bkk-nrt are the only 2 cannot.

mre5765

Discussed in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-upgrades.html .

In summary, you cannot wait list a GPU at all unless you were on the wait list for a different flight before an irrops. In the case of irrops, the airport employees are permitted to wait list you inside 24 hours.

However, if R space opens up before departure but inside 24 hours (or for that mater any time, since upgrades outside 24 hours are processed at 24 hour intervals but new confirmed upgrades jump he queue) then you can online or call the 1k desk and grab that seat ahead of anyone who is wait listed.

Lovely ain't it.